Overprotective parents aren't scared of the 'Ghost Whisperer'

by Kiley McMichael

Yes! A new Ghost Whisperer! Melinda's back! Ghosts and spookiness! I love tv. Sigh.

While the strike was going on, Ned didn't revert back to childhood. In fact, he's dating now. Of course, he happens to be dating someone who has a ghost hanging around. Ned tells Melinda that his girlfriend's father died a while ago, and that strange things always happen when he's around her. After seeing a rather menacing bald ghost appear, Melinda asks Ned to be careful, and stay away from Lisa while she checks things out.

Gee, I wonder if she'll use the Internet?

After another incredibly fast and direct search only available to residents of Grandview, Melinda discovers that Lisa's father, Nathan, was a mechanic, and that he died when a car fell on top of him. Meanwhile, Ned isn't staying away from Lisa at all. In fact, they're getting it on in her car in the school parking lot. The car gets put into gear, rolls forward a few feet (even though the ground looked incredibly flat), and hits another car. Delia bails them out of jail (because the trade off for reliable Grandview Internet is that you get taken in for minor fender-benders in a parking lot), and waits for Lisa's mom. However, Lisa's sister Amy comes, and says that their mother couldn't get away, but will call Delia soon.

Melinda goes to Lisa's house, and asks to come in. Lisa instead says they should sit outside… velly interesting. Amy comes out and interrupts them, and then her little brother Henry comes out too. A voice calls from inside, asking Lisa to come inside. Lisa reports that their mother is getting a migraine, and says Melinda should come back later. Melinda sees Menacing Ghost inside the house as Lisa turns to go. On her way out, Melinda speaks with the neighbor, who tells her that overprotective Nathan wasn't the nicest of people, but that Lisa's mom, Karen, seems to be getting out more lately. As Melinda gets into her car, Menacing Ghost appears, and yells that she needs to make herself scarce, and that his family belongs to him.

Later, at the store, Melinda feels Nathan's presence, and addresses him, only to get pushed down the stairs. Delia gets scared and tells Ned to leave Lisa and her family alone. Ned refuses. He goes to Lisa, who says that maybe Delia is right, and that her life has been too weird lately to continue their relationship. Melinda just happens to be at the house, and as Ned leaves, she approaches Lisa and her siblings and explains that she can see ghosts, and that she's seen Nathan. Even though Lisa and Henry seem interested, Amy tells Melinda to leave.

Later, Lisa meets Ned at the town square, and tells him that her mom has been missing for two days, after planning to meet up with a man she's been seeing. They go to the police, who find Karen's car on the side of the road. She never met her boyfriend, and there's no trace of her.

The next day, while Melinda talks to Henry about his father, Amy receives a phone call from her mom… as Lisa quietly hides her cell phone. Melinda confronts them, and says that she doesn't believe what's going on. She asks if the kids have buried their mother in the garden. Menacing Ghost appears, and it's not Nathan, but Karen. She had died of cancer, and that it was her idea to hide her death so that the kids could stay together.

After the kids try to skip town, Karen appears to Melinda, who says that there has to be another reason why she's so afraid of the kids being split up. Jim pulls some threads at the police station, and finds out that Karen had a sister, Tracy. Ah, the backstory. It turns out Tracy refused to take custody of Karen after their own parents died. Melinda explains the current situation with Tracy, while Karen sits and listens. Tracy then agrees to take them in. In the end, Karen's spirit appears to the new family, not as Menacing Ghost, but as her old self. After listening to her sister and children bond over family stories, Karen heads into the light.

Random Thoughts:

Can I yet again say how glad I am to have new episodes? I know it's going to be a short spring, but I hope they get some of the Underground story resolved. This episode wasn't as forced as some, which was nice, but the huge discovery of Karen's past at the very end was, again, the convenient Ghost Whisperer way.

Hey, only one remarkable Internet appearance driving the storyline! I think that's a record.

Can anyone place the actress that played Amy (Hallee Hirsch)? Oooo... think NBC in the 1990s... ER... she was Rachel.

"Booo!" It didn't work....but they love us....'Sigh.'.....